From the Principal

World Teachers Day

This Friday is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the work of our teaching staff and acknowledge their efforts throughout our school. World Teachers’ Day is celebrated on the 31st of October, and we are full of admiration to our teaching staff that have incredible dedication to their work and the support and care for our students.

Celebrated educational psychologist Lee Shulman once wrote of teaching:

“Classroom teaching is perhaps the most complex, most challenging, and most demanding, subtle, nuanced, and frightening activity that our species has ever invented. In fact, when I compared the complexity of teaching with that much more highly rewarded profession, ‘doing medicine,’ I concluded that the only time medicine even approaches the complexity of an average day of classroom teaching is in an emergency room during a natural disaster.”

At Camelot Rise Primary School we celebrate all staff (Teachers and Education Support Staff) on one day when we have a special morning tea to acknowledge the wonderful work of all our staff, who continue to strive to make our school the best it can be.

Changes to digial use

From 2027, the Victorian Government is introducing changes to the use of digital devices for students from Prep to Grade 6.

Under the new guidelines, schools:

will no longer invite families to purchase or bring their own digital devices to use at school for Prep to Grade 6
will follow new recommended digital device times, including minimal device time for Prep to Grade 2; and a maximum of 90 minutes per day for grades 3 to 6.

These changes are intended to support families by reducing cost-of-living pressures. They will also support students by reducing screen-time which can reduce the risk of eye strain, sedentary behaviour, and reduced peer interaction. These reforms complement Victoria’s nation-leading mobile phone restrictions, ensuring an integrated approach to addressing digital distraction and the inappropriate use of technology.

Students with disability who use a digital device as a reasonable adjustment are exempt from these changes.

You can read more about the changes on the department’s website: Digital Learning: Policy.

What this means for the school

We already provide school-owned digital devices for student learning, so there is no impact on our school.

Year Six Graduation and Award Ceremony - Wednesday 10th December

This incredibly special event for our Year 6 students, parents and staff will be held on

Wednesday, 10th December. This year we will be holding the Graduation Ceremony and the Awards Ceremony as one event.

Over the last three years we have presented the awards as part of the Graduation Night. The feedback from this change was extremely positive and we will continue to follow this format this year. An outline of the timing for this evening will be shared with the Year 6 families via Compass in the upcoming weeks.

Each year we present awards based on the following criteria:

Camelot Rise ENDEAVOUR Award

The student awarded the Camelot Rise Endeavour award, and the Community Spirit and Leadership Award (sponsored by Member of Chisholm) has demonstrated the following:-

Strives to do their best in their learning.
Displays great kindness and compassion to support those in need, within and outside the school community
Acts as a leader and a role model to others in the school, especially the younger students, in ‘living’ the school values.

Civics and Citizenship Award (x2)

The student awarded the Civics and Citizenship award has demonstrated the following:-

Initiative and drive to create a positive school environment for everyone
Willingness to go out of the way to help others in class, in school and in the community.
‘Living’ the school values

Academic (x 2)

The student awarded the Academic award has demonstrated the following: -

High accomplishment and capability across all aspects of learning.
Self motivation and applies their best effort in all tasks, big or small.
‘Living’ the school values

Value - Responsibility Award

The student awarded the Value - Responsibility award has demonstrated the following:-

Can always be trusted and relied upon to ‘do the right thing’
Caring and conscientious of helping others to make good choices and decisions

Value - Respect Award

The student awarded the Value - Respect award has demonstrated the following:-

Is always thoughtful and respectful to everybody at all times
Looks out for the welfare of others and always aims to do the right thing

Value - Resilience Award

The student awarded the Value - Resilience award has demonstrated the following:-

Always prepared to give things a go, perseveres and rises to the challenge of trying something new.
Doesn’t give up and listens and responds to advice.

Specialist - Performing Arts Award

The student awarded the Specialist - Performing Arts award has demonstrated the following:-

Extremely accomplished and capable worker in performing arts.
Self-motivated and conscientious in improving their performing arts skills and experience and can be relied upon to always put in their best effort, which is clearly evident in the work they produce.
Good organisational skills- Using their time productively to complete set tasks
Displays a ‘growth mindset’ and not afraid to take on challenges that are provided in performing art sessions.
Taken every opportunity to participate in the CRPS performing arts program.
Maintains school values in Performing Arts specialist area

Specialist - Visual Arts Award

The student awarded the Specialist - Visual Arts award has demonstrated the following:-

Extremely accomplished and capable worker in arts.
Self-motivated and conscientious in improving their art skills and experience - and can be relied upon to put in their best effort in at all times.
Good organisational skills- Using their time productively to complete set tasks
Displays a ‘growth mindset’ and not afraid to take on challenges that are provided in art sessions.
Taken every opportunity to participate in the CRPS arts program
Maintains school values in Visual Arts specialist area

Specialist - French Award

The student awarded the Specialist - French award has demonstrated the following:-

Extremely accomplished and capable worker in the French language.
Self-motivated and conscientious in improving their French skills and experience - and can be relied upon to put in their best effort at all times, which is clearly evident in the work they produce.
Good organisational skills- Using their time productively to complete set tasks
Displays a ‘growth mindset’ and not afraid to take on challenges that are provided in French sessions.
Taken every opportunity to participate in the CRPS French program.
Maintains school values in French specialist area

Specialist - STEM Award

The student awarded the Specialist - STEM award has demonstrated the following:-

Extremely accomplished and capable worker in the French language.
Self-motivated and conscientious in improving their French skills and experience - and can be relied upon to put in their best effort at all times, which is clearly evident in the work they produce.
Good organisational skills- Using their time productively to complete set tasks
Displays a ‘growth mindset’ and not afraid to take on challenges that are provided in STEM sessions.
Taken every opportunity to participate in the CRPS STEM program.
Maintains school values in STEM specialist area

Specialist - Physical Education Award

The student awarded the Specialist - Physical Education award has demonstrated the following:-

Demonstrates sporting excellence and displaying the qualities of a team leader
Increases the morale and enthusiasm of those around them
Competitive but always demonstrates great sportsmanship to not only to their fellow peers, but to their competitors from other schools and teams.
Good organisational skills- Using their time productively to complete set tasks
Displays a ‘growth mindset’ and not afraid to take on challenges that are provided in PE sessions.
Taken every opportunity to represent CRPS in individual and team events
Maintains school values in Physical Education specialist area

SCHOOL SPORTS VICTORIA Sport Award

The student awarded the SSV Sports award has demonstrated the following:-

All-rounder’ qualities in achieving success in sporting endeavours.
Represented CRPS at a high level across many events, either individually or as part of school teams.
Displaying excellent sportsmanship and leadership in class and on the field.
Sporting achievements, in most cases, need to be at National, or State level.
Students must be enrolled in a government school.

Rotary Club of Waverley Award - Sporting Award

The student awarded the Rotary Club of Waverley award has demonstrated the following:-

Attitude rather than ability, displaying a genuine spirit of fair play and sportsmanship
Humble in victory and gracious in defeat
Always trying to the best of his/her ability
Supportive of teammates and courteous to opponents
Plays the game for the fun of the game

Pupil Free Days this Term

Just a reminder of the dates for our remaining Pupil Free Days

Curriculum Day on Monday November 3rd, 2025. This day will be used for report writing purposes.
Tuesday, 4th November is the Melbourne Cup Public Holiday. Students are not required at school on this day.

Students return to school on Wednesday, 5th November.

Final Assembly for the Year

One date that our community look forward to is the final assembly of the year because we farewell our grade six children for their final day of primary school after a 7-year journey.

The date and time for this is Thursday 11th, December commencing at 9.15am.

At the assembly we will listen to the Year 6 graduates sing their farewell song, watch the Year 6 PowerPoint and celebrate the year we have had.

Happy Diwali

Many of our school community celebrate Diwali which was observed last Monday 20th October. We would like to extend a Happy Diwali to those who celebrated this special day!

Matthew Coney & Ben Heys